Crab Cakes with a Roasted Red Pepper Aioli

Harris Teeter had crab legs on sale last week so I grabbed a big ole frozen bag.  I've turned into a sucker for crab cakes, and I like experimenting with different toppings and cake recipes.  Since I was out of eggs this weekend (and not feeling like going to the grocery store), I opted to use light mayo only for the cakes.  I came across this recipe on myrecipes.com, and I was immediately interested in the red pepper aioli.  It was the perfect way to get rid of the end of a jar of roasted red peppers that I had in my refrigerator.  The aioli turned out delicious (and it goes well with Triscuits, too!), but I wasn't that impressed with the crab cakes.  I opted to bake them instead of frying, and I really think that, sadly, frying does make them taste better.  I'm trying to eat a little better these days (not that a mayo aioli and crab cakes are all that fabulous for you), and I'm hoping that making small changes like baking instead of frying will start to snowball into larger ones for us.  I'll spare you the sub-par crab cake recipe (I would recommend using this one here) be definitely share the aioli one!

Here's what we did....

Roasted Red Pepper Aioli
Ingredients
1/3 cup drained roasted red pepper
1 large clove garlic, minced
1 tablespoon green onion, thinly sliced
2 teaspoons lemon juice
1/2 cup light mayonnaise


Directions
Add the first 4 ingredients to a food processor and process until just a little chunky.  In a medium bowl, mix the mayo and the red pepper mixture.  Cover and chill in the refrigerator until you are ready to serve.


Enjoy!

Memorial Day Weekend Grillin'...the starter!

Ahh, Memorial Day Weekend...it's a time synonymous with grilling.  Last night, we went over to our neighbor's house (The Simpsons) for dinner.  I brought my famous shrimp bruschetta as an appetizer.  I felt bad because I was a little unorganized and running late so I didn't have them for us snack on while grilling, but they were a hit!  We had a good time last night, and I look forward to our next joint grilling adventure!

Today, Rick was at his new place and unpacking the smaller loads that he's been taking over there.  I chilled inside today (tried to nap but failed miserably) and finished up the latest Southern Vampire Mystery that I've been reading.  Hello, new addiction!  For dinner tonight, Rick and I are grilling out (again).  I picked up some delicious looking steak kabobs at Publix as well as some zucchini to go with them.  For starters, I decided to make a smoky pecan relish that I found while flipping through the latest issue of Southern Living to serve with some grilled shrimp.  I apologize for not having pictures, but they were gone before I could get one!  They were the perfect little snack while we did the rest of our meal. I really like what we did with the shrimp--much more flavorful than what we normally do. I can foresee us making them a lot this summer!  (The relish goes great with Triscuits, too!)

Here's what we did....

Grilled Shrimp

Ingredients

1/2 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined

1 clove of garlic, pressed

1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil

Lemon pepper seasoning

1/2 lemon

Directions

Prior to peeling and deveining shrimp, soak bamboo kabobs in water (should soak for at least an hour).  In a medium bowl, mix shrimp, olive oil, garlic, and sprinkle with lemon pepper seasoning.  Thread shrimp on to kabobs.  Just prior to put on the grill, squeeze lemon juice over the kabobs.  

Heat grill to medium and grill shrimp.



Smoky Pecan Relish
Ingredients
1 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers, drained
1 glove of garlic, minced
1 tablespoon red wine vinegar
3 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon paprika
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/2 teaspoonsalt
1/8 teaspoon ground red pepper
1/2 cup recipe ready pecan pieces


Directions
Combine all ingredients but the pecans into a food processor and process until finely chopped.  Add pecans and pulse 10 times.  


Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours before serving.  It can be kept for up to one week.


Enjoy!

Fun with Puff Pastry

I know, I know, I know...I haven't been blogging a lot, but as between studying for NCLEX and cooking our favorites (ribs one night, Italian Beef for a potluck at church) and no new recipes, I haven't had anything to write about.  Luckily, I had an inservice at work coming up so I decided to try a new puff pastry snack for the occasion!  I had a jar of roasted red pepper and artichoke tapenade in my pantry, and I thought that it might be interesting to mix it with some 3 cheese blend and make pinwheels similar to the prosciutto, cheese, and basil ones we love.  They were a hit at the inservice, and they so very easy to make!



So here's what I did...

Ingredients

1 jar Harris Teeter Trader Roasted Red Pepper and Artichoke Tapenade

1 cup 3 cheese blend

1 sheet of thawed puff pastry

Directions

To thaw the puff pastry sheet, let it sit out for 40 minutes.

In a bowl, mix the Tapenade and cheese.

Dust a cutting board with flour and unfold the pastry sheet.  Cut the pastry sheet vertically to make two sheets.  Spoon half of the mixture onto one of the pastry sheets.  Starting with the side closest to you, roll the pastry jelly-roll fashion into a log, pressing gently to seal long edges. Wrap the log in plastic, and repeat with the other half of the puff pastry. Chill the pastry logs, seam side down for at least 30 minutes.

Preheat oven to 400F and spray two baking sheets with cooking spray.

Cut logs crosswise into 1/2 inch thick pinwheels and arrange with the cut sides down, 1 inch apart on baking sheets. Bake pinwheels in batches in the middle of the oven for 14 to 16 minutes, until golden brown. Use a metal spatula to transfer pinwheels to a rack and cool. Serve warm.

Greek-inspired grillin'

While perusing the latest recipes on epicurious.com this week (yes, I was being bad and doing it during class on Wednesday), I came across a couple of recipes that I thought would be perfect to try. After a quick trip to Publix on the way home from work, I had everything that I needed for an atypical but appetizing grilling experience: steak, roasted red peppers, coriander, and pita bread.

I started marinading the steak, but unfortunately, the weather decided not to cooperate. It started raining. When Rick and I talked on the phone, he said that he wasn't going to be able to come over that night due to his having to do some work at home. I decided that I would just throw the meat on my George Foreman and make a Greek salad as a test-run for our meal. Luckily, the weather cleared up, and Rick called back to say that he wanted to come over! Yay!!! While I waited for Rick to come over, I made bread crumbs out of leftover hamburger buns that were in the refrigerator for the roasted red pepper spread and started soaking bamboo skewers in some water.

I was finishing up the roasted red pepper spread when Rick arrived. I was excited to let him sample a taste of it. We were both pleasantly surprised at the spread, and when I put it in a plastic container to store until dinner time, I swear it looked like something I would buy at Whole Foods.

As I've mentioned before, Rick has expressed interest in taking a more active role in dinner preparation, and I have to admit that it is difficult for me to hand over the reigns. He told me last night that he doesn't like to follow recipes which doesn't make it any easier for me. Baby steps!! He was eager to help and joyfully smashed garlic to make the garlic and oregano oil to brush on the pitas. I decided not to do the feta corn that was part of the menu and do a simple Greek salad instead.

We headed outside to the grill and started off with the pita bread. Rick brushed them with the garlic-oregano oil after I took them off the grill, but of course, I had to brush at least one! As we were grilling them, Rick came up with an excellent idea--grilled pita bread pizzas! Looks like that's what we are going to be doing on Friday. He's going to bring over the toppings (a surprise) so we'll see what happens!

The meal turned out wonderfully! Th roasted red pepper and walnut spread was delicious with both the pita and the meat. It was also wonderful on the pita "sandwiches" with the leftover beef that I had for lunch today. Rick's apparently did not make it past 10 am. I promised Rick that I wouldn't quote him this time around because he fears that no one will believe the continued positive reviews of our meals. I'll just say that even though he's not a huge Greek fan, he definitely enjoyed this meal!

Here is the Roasted Red Pepper and Walnut Spread recipe:

yield: Makes about 3 cups
active time: 10 min
total time: 15 min

Ingredients
2 (7-to 8-ounces) jars roasted red peppers, rinsed and drained
1 cup coarse fresh bread crumbs (from a baguette)
1 cup walnuts (4 ounces), toasted
1 tablespoon red-wine vinegar
1/2 teaspoon cumin
1/8 teaspoon cayenne
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

Preparation
Purée roasted red peppers, bread crumbs, walnuts, vinegar, cumin, cayenne, and 1/4 teaspoon salt in a food processor until almost smooth.
With motor running, add oil in a slow stream, blending until incorporated.

Cooks' notes: •Spread is also delicious with crudites, crackers, or toasts.
•Spread can be made 3 days ahead and chilled. Bring to room temperature before serving.


Changes that I made:

• Used leftover hamburger buns to make the breadcrumbs
• Reduced the recipe by 3/4 due to my purchasing a 12 oz jar of roasted red peppers

The Garlic-Oregano Grilled Pita recipe:
yield: Makes 6 servings
active time: 20 min
total time: 30 min
Ingredients
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
2 garlic cloves, smashed
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
6 (6-to 8-inch) pocketless pita bread rounds
Kosher salt to taste


Preparation
Heat oil in a small heavy skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Cook garlic, turning once, until pale golden, about 1 minute. Discard garlic and remove skillet from heat, then stir in oregano.

Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (medium-high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure . Oil grill rack. Grill pitas, 3 at a time, covered only if using a gas grill, turning once, until grill marks appear, about 2 minutes total per batch. Transfer to a cutting board and brush both sides with garlic-oregano oil. Cut pitas into wedges. Sprinkle with kosher salt. Serve warm.

Cooks' note: Pitas can be grilled in an oiled hot 2-burner grill pan over medium heat.
Changes that I made: We did 3 pitas only, and I added a little fresh ground black pepper to the oil.
And finally....the Cumin-Scented Beef Kebabs!
yield: Makes 6 servings
active time: 30 min
total time: 2 1/2 hr (includes marinating)
Ingredients
1/4 cup olive oil
2 tablespoons finely chopped oregano
2 garlic cloves, minced
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 teaspoon ground coriander
1/4 teaspoon cayenne
2 pounds sirloin flap steak or flatiron steak, cut into 1 1/2-inch pieces
Equipment: 12 (12-inch) skewers, soaked in water 30 minutes if wooden
Accompaniment: roasted red pepper and walnut spread

Preparation
Stir together oil, oregano, garlic, spices, and 1 teaspoon salt in a bowl, then toss with beef. Marinate, chilled, at least 2 hours.
Prepare grill for direct-heat cooking over medium-hot charcoal (high heat for gas); see Grilling Procedure . Thread about 4 pieces of beef onto each skewer, leaving small spaces between pieces, then transfer to a tray.
Oil grill rack, then grill beef, covered only if using a gas grill, turning, until browned but still pink inside, 4 to 5 minutes.

Cooks' notes: •Beef can be marinated up to 8 hours.•Kebabs can be broiled on an oiled broiler pan about 3 inches from heat.

Changes I made: I used 1 pound of plain ole sirloin because there were just two of us (and of course, I cooked mine rare).